Set Yourself On Fire
by AGirlBrushedRed
Summary: [AU. PyroOC.] Charlotte just discovered she's a mutant, after spending most of her life rallying against them. Coming to the mansion has quickly changed her views. But what about her friends back home? Can she admit to them what she really is?
1. Princess Charlotte

_Tap. _

"Hey."

_Tap. Tap. _

_Go on, do it one more time._ She was about to snap.

_Tap. Tap. _

"Hey."

_"WHAT!?"_ Charlotte spun around to face whoever it was that had been prodding at her attention (and her back) for the past 5 minutes. She had tried unsuccessfully to ignore them and focus on the lesson in front of her. Her first lesson at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. A school for mutants. Just a few days ago, she had no idea such a place existed.

_Just a few days ago, she had no idea she was a mutant either. Back then, she was human. Normal. The word stung the back of her eyes as if she'd never hear it again. It also didn't help that memories of her friends came flooding back. Friends who dragged her along on weekly, if not daily, 'mutie bashing' run arounds. She'd witnessed far too many, some of the victims being once loved members of their tight-knit group. They'd all known eachother since childhood, and when some of them began to 'change', things grew to be very different. They weren't friends anymore, they were mutants. They had a disease. They weren't right. They were outcasted, and how easily depended on how willing they were to accept that they weren't welcome anymore. It was just one of the factors that caused Charlotte not to hesitate the moment she knew something was different about her. She grabbed what she could, tossed it into her backpack, and ran. _

_Two busses later, she arrived in New York City, tired, scared, and very alone. That would explain why when a husky guy with a denim jacket and an irritable demeanor nudged her awake and told her he had a safe place for her to go. Discussions in a pick-up truck had never been so informative - or frightening. _

The boy she saw sitting behind her said nothing, but put a finger to his lips and looked past her with a smirk on his face. His dark blue eyes were wide with excitement, like he was proud he had just gotten her in trouble. It suddenly dawned on her how loud she had just been, and she slunk back in her chair while knowingly under the watchful glare of a slightly irritated Professor Munroe. Her face began to grow slightly warm, despite the chill in the room.

Focusing her attention once again on the textbook in front of her, the professor's voice slowly tuned back in and began reciting quotations and discussing them with the students. She had read all but two sentences, when her focus was halted yet again.

"Hey." _Tap. _

Charlotte gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to spin back again. She gave in and responded to him, her voice barely above a whisper and her eyes not leaving the book.

"What do you want!?" She wanted this over with as soon as possible.

"You the new kid?"

Charlotte's eyes glazed over momentarily in bemusement and annoyance. _That_ was what couldn't wait until class was over?

"Yes." She rolled her eyes and attempted to continue reading.

"So what can you do?"

Now he had her attention. She sat up slightly, still facing forward. It was bad enough she found out she was a mutant, now she had to explain it to some random boy?

"Nothing. Leave me alone." A rather childish response, but at this point she didn't care.

"You wouldn't be here if you couldn't do anything. Come on." His voice resembled that of a 10 year old asking his big sister to buy him candy without his mother hearing.

"I said leave me alone!" She snapped, keeping her eyes on the professor. She hadn't heard their conversation just yet. Hopefully she wouldn't.

The bell going off caused a wave of relief through Charlotte's chest. Without looking back, she picked up her book and her backpack, and turned to leave the room, grimacing as she noticed the boy standing up after her out of the corner of her eye.

They reached the hallway, and Charlotte immediately spun around, almost causing him to run right into her. His eyes widened in suprise and he backed up before she had a chance to speak.

"Will you fuck off!?" She said angrily. The boy raised an eyebrow, the smile on his face fading.

"Easy, princess, I was just..." He was cut off when a young looking girl with white streaks in her hair came between them.

"John for christ's sake, do you have to harass everyone?"

He suddenly had a much less appealing look on his face.

"Oh shut up Rogue, all I did was ask her what her power was, not my fault she had to be a bitch about it." The two obviously knew eachother, but it was unclear if they actually got along.

Charlotte shifted nervously and Rogue looked back at her with a questioning gaze.

"I said it's nothing. There's nothing wrong with me." She really hadn't meant to sound so afraid and angry. Rogue had retreated at Charlotte's outburst, and looked away with a sad expression. That, however, was nothing compared to John's reaction. His eyes had suddenly appeared slightly darker, and the playful smirk he once wore left no trace on his now tight-lipped mouth. She noticed his jaw clench, and she could almost feel the heat radiating from him as he stared at her with the utmost anger.

"Fucking humans. You're all the same." John adjusted his backpack quickly and shoved past her, dissappearing into the now crowded sea of students. Rogue had also gone, leaving Charlotte once again in the state she had been before she got here.

Alone.

* * *

**A/N**: you know the drill, please read and review! Thank you. :) 


	2. It Never Happens To You

I'm such a fucking idiot. I just basically insulted their entire kind.

Wait, no. I _am_ their kind.

Or... I am now.

Or...was I the whole time?

Why me in the first place?

Nothing but millions of unanswered questions ran though my head as I plowed my way throught the sea of students that had just emerged from their various lessons. All mutants. The majority of them looked...well, _normal_. One blonde boy had a (rather decent, now that I think about it) set of huge white wings, and one of our teachers wore red sunglasses. None of the kids had any visible signs that there was anything different about them. Neither did I, but I knew I was a bit more than different.

I saw a washroom sign out of the corner of my eye and made a beeline for the door, looking at nothing but the now tiled floor in front of me, turning on the tap and splashing the freezing water onto my overheated face. I could feel my eyeliner begin to attach itself to the droplets as they ran down my face, and looking into the mirror merely reassured me that it was. My already dark eyes were now smudged with black with the occasional vertical line falling down my cheek to my chin.

I let out an audible sigh, and continued to stare at the pathetic girl in front of me.

How did I get here?

Just last week I was sitting in my backyard with the crew. Well, what was left of us. Since we were kids, 3 of us had 'changed'. now there were 4 of us left. Me, Eric, Andrew, and Beth. There hadn't been anyone to outcast in a good few years, we naturally we assumed we were all fine. The ones that we wrote off...God knows what they did with themselves. We didn't care. I thought about them from time to time, but never dared bring it up with the rest of them. Especially the guys. They've beaten up kids before just for being friends with the 'muties', as they were nicknamed. Wasn't right, they said. Needed to stick together or we'll lose control of it all. I learned to tune it out most of the time, I just accepted the fact that they didn't like the mutants. Part of me was always afraid this would happen - one day waking up to find out I was a mutant - just because of what my friends would do. My family wasn't very tolerant of the whole thing, either. Which is why that morning, that...fucking horrifying morning...when I slipped in the shower, grabbing for the curtain for support...my hand and arm suddenly absorbed the pattern and texture of the fabric clutched in my fingers, almost up to my elbow. I'm still not sure if it was the shock of what had just happened, or the grip I had on the curtain, that kept me from falling. But either way, only one thing went through my head.

I had to get out of there. Quickly.

I thanked myself when I remembered I had a pile of clothes next to my bed from doing the laundry. I grabbed most of it, and shoved it into my backpack along with my standard 'going out' things - makeup, toothbrush, stuff like that. I stopped, and looked at a photo on my nightstand of my little sister and I. She was only six, and had no idea really of anything that was going on with the mutants, the cure, the fact that my friends and I went out and threw bottles and a kid if they had a tail...I shuddered at the thought, grabbed the picture and threw it into my bag. I took a look around my room as if it was the last time I'd ever see it - at the time, I thought it was - and closed the door behind me. Luckily I was home alone at the time, it made this alot easier. I simply grabbed my wallet and walked out the door to the nearest bus stop, fighting back what I knew would be a shitstorm of tears and anger...

"What the fuck...?"

A voice behind me caused me to break my dazed stare and focus on the addition to my mess of a reflection. I was nothing short of shocked to see John, that pleasant boy from before, staring at me with something between annoyance...and _concern_? Huh?

"This is the guy's bathroom." He said plainly

Whatever dignity I had left - gone. I looked around me. Sure enough, urinals.

_You're kidding me._

I looked back to John, who hadn't moved from the doorway. Was he expecting me to say sorry or something?

"Yeah I wasn't paying attention." _Smooth._ I must look like a fucking headcase right now. In the guys bathroom, staring at myself, makeup smeared all over my face...what a winner. I quickly attempted to wipe my face with my shirt sleeve, and walked toward the door. I was almost there, when John put his arm out and stopped me. Being in the state I was, I didn't make an effort to fight it. I couldn't look at him, though. I felt awful. I think. I wasn't sure what I felt.

"Don't be afraid of your gift."

And that would be it right there. I caught my breath and blinked hard.

He put his arm down, allowing me to pass. For a second, I turned my head to face him, forgetting I looked like complete hell, and looked up to meet his eyes. They weren't narrow or cold, like they were when I last saw him. He looked, for some reason, like he knew what I was feeling when he saw me staring into the mirror.

I wanted to say something - anything - but my mind was blank. I kept his gaze for a moment longer before I started back out the door and up to my room.

I had alot of thinking to do.

* * *

**A/N**: so there's that. ;) please review, I'm not sure which p.o.v. works best. So any advice would be greatly appreciated! 


	3. Face the Facts

I didn't even hear the door open as I pushed against it as I exited the bathroom. As if that just happened. Of all the people in the whole fucking school, _he_ had to walk in, and see me in a state that only my closest friends have seen me in. And if that wasn't bad enough, everyone I crossed paths with seemed to be looking at me.

Did I make it that obvious I was in the boys' bathroom?

Or had word of the little tiff we had in the hallway gotten around _that_ fast?

Either way, I had to get myself away from everyone here. Even just for a short while. I needed me time. Everyone needs me time. Most of them don't need it because they just found out they were a bloody mutant, but…actually, a lot of these kids probably have.

Either way.

So I get to the landing on the stairs, and fucked if I can't remember which way my room is. I squint at myself, and I suddenly remember a blurry right turn from my first night here. I skipped a step every time I was up there so fast, and I slowed myself to read the numbers on the door until one of them finally became familiar to me.

Not locked. I don't even care at this point, I had nothing for anyone to steal…unless they want a picture of my sister and some underwear. Thank whoever's up there that I don't have a roommate, because they would have thought me crazy for slamming the door and gracefully face-planting myself onto my bed, and staying there for what felt like hours. Because when I turned over again, the mansion seemed a lot quieter.

_Crap._ I fell asleep. I haven't eaten all day, either.

Would I get in trouble if I went to the kitchen? I thought about it for a second and decided if I was breaking a rule, I may as well not be hungry while I'm doing it. I walked over to my own little bathroom (don't even get me started on how glad I was that I knew no one would come in this time), and turned on the light, remembering I should probably wipe the black smears off my face before I pack it in for the night. God, I look awful. And to top it off, I have a braid imprint on my face from my hemp bracelet.

Nice.

The cold water felt beyond refreshing as it washed away the makeup – and the embarrassment of this afternoon's encounter – down the white porcelain sink. Eyes still closed, I grabbed the towel from the hanger and smushed it onto my face, drying it quickly. I looked at my reflection, erasing any leftover makeup. Sure enough, the bracelet imprint was still there, but I didn't look as bad I had before.

I left the light on, and changed into my pajamas – well, what I use for pajamas, a wifebeater and some men's plaid flannel pants – they're amazingly comfy, I swear – and glanced over at the clock next to the bed.

2:45am.

Ouch. I must have been a lot more tired than I thought. Pre-occupation can do that to someone, I guess.

I had barely placed my hand on the doorknob when something in my pocket suddenly buzzed against my thigh. I let out a stifled scream and jumped, just before realizing that my cell phone was in my pocket…and ringing. I quickly fumbled for it, cursing under my breath for not realizing it had been there when I had put my pants on, and so quickly that I hadn't even thought to check the caller ID.

I answered quickly, sounding a bit more rushed than I had planned.

"Hello?"

"Char? Where the fuck are you?"

I nearly dropped the phone.

It was Beth.

"Beth?"

Fuck, of course it's Beth you idiot.

"Hey…yeah I've been meaning to call you man, I…" Think quick. "I went to visit a friend out east."

I hope she buys this.

"Who the hell do you know out east? You haven't gone anywhere without me in like….forever."

_Shit._

"A guy. I met him at the carnival." God, this is weak.

"Bullshit. Why didn't you say anything?"

I'm starting to feel dizzy. I put my hand on the wall to steady myself and try to come up with something…anything…that one of my best friends would buy. I couldn't focus on anything and I could feel my heart racing. I hate lying to her, I hate hiding…_fuck_…

Calm down. _Calm down_ or…

My hand started to tingle, and something told me it wasn't lack of blood flow.

Something between a scream and a whimper escaped my throat as I saw the dark green floral pattern on the wall slowly make it's way up my arm, covering every inch of my skin in it's path.

This time I actually did drop the phone. I could hear Beth's voice on the other end yelling my name, but all I could think about was this had to stop.

I yanked my hand away, and this time instead of panicking, all I could do was cry. Stare at this…whatever was happening to me, and cry. Heave, even.

I haven't cried yet.

This is going to be bad.

I could feel my legs becoming just as unstable as the rest of me. I don't remember it hurting very much when I landed on the carpet, delirious with every emotion I had been holding back for what felt like an eternity.

I also don't remember hearing a knock at the door, or another. Or even Marie saying my name. I just remember a gloved hand on my shoulder, and all I could do was lean into her and cry. I'm not even sure if she could understand what I was saying. Everything from "why did this happen to me?" to "I'm sorry I yelled at you" to "I'm don't even know who I am anymore". Because well, I didn't. I was alone, I was confused, and I was more afraid than I think I've ever been.

I yelled in her face, and this girl was comforting me. She was telling me she understood, she was petting my damn _hair_.

I heard her pick up my phone, and hit the end button. She didn't let go of me, at least not until I had long since fallen asleep on my floor.

* * *

**A/N**: Not sure if I'm happy with this chapter. Which is better, first person, or Charlotte's po.v.? Review, please:) 


	4. Newbie

I've always hated crying. But I really hate crying at night. Because when I wake up, my eyes are all swollen and bloodshot and I look like a walking hangover. Plus I hate having to explain it when people ask me why I'm all puffy. I'm not big on the whole "feelings" thing, which would probably explain why I practically passed out last night during my little episode.

I wasn't sure what time Marie had left, but when I woke up, I was still on my floor. And where...? Sure enough, there's my phone, placed on my nightstand. And plugged in, even. Damn, Marie, you're a sweetheart. Of course, now I feel even worse for making her feel bad. I should go find her.

Still sitting on the floor, I crane my neck to look at my alarm clock.

11:30.

Lunch. or Breakfast, rather. Either way, sweet. I'm starving, and to be honest I don't remember the last time I ate. I hoist my stiff body up onto my bed, and have a nice stretch before I reach into my backpack for some clean and not-cried-and-slept-in clothes.

My typical black tank top and jeans.

Nothing fancy, but who the hell do I have to impress here? I unconsiously grab at my neck to make sure the ring around my necklace is still there, and slowly make my way back over to the bathroom to wipe whatever makeup was left off of my face. I figured I would at least try to look half presentable, to make up for everything that went down yesterday. I had almost forgotten, until I looked at myself begrudgingly in the mirror above the sink.

_John._

Don't be afraid of my gift? And that whole _'fucking humans'_ hissy fit? Where the hell does he get off? At least Marie wasn't pissing me off all day and I actually felt bad for making her upset. John seemed like he was trying to be some kind of hero for his "cause" or...something. Not a fan.

Anyway, I pushed that thought out of my mind, stuck a few bobby pins in my hair, and went for my door. I was putting on my shoes when I noticed something small and white sticking out from under the door. Picking it up, I flipped it over and nodded, impressed at the fancy school insignia on the corner. Must be from the Professor.

Not taking any time to wonder, I tore it open, tossing the envelope onto my bed, and unfolding the letterhead.

It wasn't from the Professor. It was from Ms. Munroe.

_Crap._

A wave of anxiety crept up my back as I suddenly remember her catching me yelling at John yesterday.

As little punishment I may recieve, I was never a fan of getting in trouble at school.

But thankfully, as I read on, this apparently wasn't the case.

_Dear Miss Stanford, _

_I hope that the facilities here are finding you well and that everything is up to and beyond your expectations here at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. _

_As you may have been informed by some of your peers, I take it upon myself to partake in private lessons with the newer students, in order to help them become more comfortable and familiar with their new powers. Yours, as I understand, is a very unique one which will require much concentration and training. I do believe, however, that you will be very pleased with the results if you choose to take your lessons seriously. _

_I would like you to meet me outside of my classroom this afternoon at 1:00pm. I have excused you from the remainder of your classes, so there is no need to worry about missing work. __  
__I hope to see you there. _

_Sincerely, __  
__Ms. Ororo Munroe._

Well I'll be damned. Private lessons for the messed up new kid. Colour me impressed. Despite my feelings on the matter over the past few days, I was feeling a little more open to suggestion regarding my newfound...quirk. Don't get me wrong, I'm still terrified when it happens and it's always been completely random, so maybe I'll feel a little better when I hear whatever Ms. Munroe has to say, since she obviously knows a bit about the whole mutant thing.

I folded the letter up and tucked it into the back pocket of my jeans, before finishing the more-difficult-than-it-should-have-been task of putting my shoes on and finally exiting my room to head down for a much needed meal. And if I could find her, an already long overdue talk with Marie.

I had assumed the older students were prone to sleeping in with having Fridays off, but with the magnitude of volume and screaming kids that I discovered the moment I stepped into the hallway, my assumption was quickly shot down. I didn't know any of them, and with the newness of my student status still reeking on me I didn't feel like becoming "that girl"...you know, the one that just tells the kids to stop screaming and then huffs away into a dark corner, only to...absorb the pattern on the wall...well, you get it. Point being, I did the only thing I've been good at around here lately, and put my head down and walked down the hall to the stairs, and then down to the kitchen. The thing was massive; I asked myself how I had managed to avoid it since I'd been admitted here, and shortly followed by asking myself how I had gone without eating a proper meal in almost 3 days. No wonder I felt so dizzy yesterday. The cupboards were a beautiful rich, dark colour, and the countertops were black with grey speckled granite which was so shiny I could see the reflection of the bright courtyard outside the window across the room from me. I hadn't noticed outside at all since I've been here, either; I'm continually being shocked at how much I've missed while wallowing in my own misery surrounded by people who don't seem to mind being in the same situation.

The brunt of the younger kids were seated around the gigantic dinner table, eating/throwing/etc. their food, and a few students who looked older (from the back, anyway) were on the couch in front of the most impressive flat screen television I've ever seen. The boy with the wings was half on the back of the couch, his feathered mutation cascading rather beautifully down past his body, almost touching the floor. They were breathtaking. Literally, apparently, because I must have had a temporary lapse of brain power as I kept staring at them, wondering what it would be like to watch him fly..._could he actually fly?_

"Nice, aren't they?"

My eyes snapped to the left, and either to my relief or dismay, Marie was turned around on the couch, looking at me with an expression I can only relate to the one you get when you see a kid who goes to the zoo for the first time.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not.

Because wing boy just turned around too, and now he's smiling at me and he knows I was just staring at his wings and he knows what I'm thinking and _for fuck's sake_ John and his friend are looking at me now too -

"Hi, Marie...guys." One half-assed wave and a glance at the two boys I hadn't met yet, and I look right back to the only person in here I know that I'm at least pretty sure I don't have any bad blood with.

"Um, what can I grab to eat?" I forced a smile, and she knows how hungry I am and hops over the back of the couch to the fridge, motioning me to follow. I look over to the side and I can see John looking at me, and for the love of all that is holy he's smirking _again_. He's fucking with me. Asshole to...whatever mood he was in for the bathroom incident, back to asshole again. Is he mental? I don't even want to try to deal with it right now so I just look away and follow Marie over to the fridge, standing close to her so the steel door shields us from the view of the rest of the students in front of the television.

I think she knows I'm not just interested in food right now, because she kind of hovers over some wrapped up leftovers for a moment before giving me the "okay, spill it." look.

"Listen, I wanted to say thank you for last night." I say slowly with my eyes closed, because I'm still embarassed about it. "And I'm sorry about -" She cuts me off with a quiet laugh, looking up at me.

"Don' even worry, sugar. We've all been there before, there's no need to be sorry 'bout it. Now here, take this and come join us." She hands me a yellow apple - my favourite, hell yes - and shuts the fridge door, taking my hand and leading me over to the sitting area.

Right then I learn that wing boy's name is Warren, the small girl's Kitty, and John's friend is Bobby, who looks like he could be in a boy band. I feel like I'm at a camp pow-wow. Everyone's going in a circle now, telling me about their 'powers', and they're so proud of them, and I'm nothing short of overwhelmed at what I'm seeing.  
Bobby can create ice. Kitty can move through solid objects. Marie wears her gloves because her skin sucks the energy from whoever she touches and for some reason I want her to touch me.

Warren really can fly, which is currently blowing my mind.

Now they're all looking at me, and I don't know what to say.

"Uh, I..." Marie smiles at me, as some sort of motivation, and for the first time, I'm not afraid of what I'm about to say.

"I can't do it by myself yet, but I can..." I try some wierd hand movements as if it'll help them understand better, "...absorb the appearance and texture of things that I touch."

I think I'm holding my breath now.

But they aren't wierded out.

Warren and Bobby say it's cool, Kitty's eyes are all wide and she's smiling, so I guess that's a good thing. Marie looks so proud of me, I want to hug her.

But I won't, because I probably seem lame enough.

I'm briefly distracted by the commerical on TV, when I hear that voice again behind me.

"Hey." _Click._

I turn around to mouth off again, but I can't even talk.

Right now, I'm watching a snake made out of fucking _fire_ lick around me in a circle and I'm torn between screaming and laughing, but I can't seem to do either.

John can control fire.

I pissed off a mutant that can control fire, and all I can do is imitate drapery and cry about it.

I really hope he doesn't hold grudges.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update, and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I might edit this chapter in the future, I feel it rushed a little at the end, but let me know what you think! Thank you so much to my reviewers. 3 


	5. Tentative Decoration

After returning from the refridgerator with what seemed like a decent size make-up dinner, I took my place on the carpet (at what I felt was a safe distance, due to the whole fire thing) in front of John, who was stretched out on what he deemed to be "his" armchair, and the rest of the students seated around the television. My attention shifted between whatever was being flipped though on the screen, and my own thoughts, only just recently remembering my meeting with Professor Munroe. I would have to attempt to display my powers on purpose. My _powers_.

Powers that are mine.

My _powers._

I smirk to myself, replaying that over in my head, because I'll be damned if that doesn't sound cool, I don't care who you are. I'm going outside in an hour to play with my _powers_ because I'm a _mutant_ - uhhn. I'm suddenly much more aware of what I'm asking my body to do, and flashbacks of how absolutely insane I thought I was when it happened the other two times came flying back and hit me in the face.

The food I had just practically inhaled wasn't helping matters much, either. My stomach was starting to cramp. I stood up, and took my plate with me back to the sink and placed it on top of the others.

I had just under an hour before my meeting, judging from the clock on the wall. I looked back to the group who had just basically bore their souls and life stories to me after knowing me for what I know couldn't have been more than half an hour. I'm almost tempted to ask if they were forced to be nice, because I've never met anyone my age who was that open about themselves that wasn't in a therapy circle.

I've decided that Warren's just about the prettiest thing I've ever seen. And I don't use the term 'pretty' very often. You would agree if you saw him, just sitting there with his wings..._augh_, his wings! I think I could deal with wings. I've been faced with far too many situations where they'd be perfect to escape with. Kitty makes me kind of nervous. She's a tiny little thing, but she can move through walls, which will suck if she ever doesn't feel like knocking or I catch her on an off day. Her friend ran in and yelled something at her, causing them both to shriek and bolt out of the kitchen excitedly like a bunch of fifteen year olds. Only I think she IS fifteen, so maybe...no. It still wierds me out when girls do that. Her friend's obnoxiously yellow jacket wierds me out, too. Her name was Jubliee. After they left, John made some comment about her "goddamn fireworks and giggling" always keeping him up at night, so I think I'm safe to assume her power has something to do with fireworks, I'm sure I'll be corrected one day if I'm wrong.

Bobby and Marie are cute. I saved my questions about how 'things can be done' with Marie's power being what it is until I'm better acquainted with the group. It's so tempting to ask though. Have they? Will they ever? She says she can't control it 'yet', so maybe one day? Bobby seems content in public, but who the hell knows. He doesn't seem like the emotional type.

And then there's John, who, in my head, I've affectionately nicknamed Sparky, just because I know he'd hate something like that. He's obviously the 'cool guy' of the group, and obviously self-proclaimed. I've already had a taste of his temper, but when it doesn't catch me off guard, I'm pretty sure I can handle it. He's sitting behind me clicking his stupid lighter, which he's been doing since I first sat down, and I'm about to grab it and throw it out the window.

_click...click...click..._ That sound is like japanese water torture if you hear it enough.

This one has found a way of getting to me without saying a single word. To add to it, he's acting all non-chalant like he didn't see me in my miserable wet-faced 'holy-shit-you're-in-the-the-guys-bathroom' moment, wether it be out of politeness, or just to be a dick and hold it over my head. For some reason this really irritates me, so I decide to explain myself. Or apolog- god, I hate that word. Explain why I freaked out in the least revealing way possible.

"Hey John?" I call over to him, and he turns his head lazily to look at me like it's the most difficult thing he's ever done.

"Charlotte." What a witty reply. The guy's full of them.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" I try to say it as casually as possible, so not as to catch the attention of anyone in the room who may have caught wind of what happened in the bathroom. Which I'll hopefully have the full details of any storytelling in a minute.

His eyes glaze over momentarilty and he looks away like he's thinking it over, and then swings his legs over the arm of the chair onto the ground.

"I guess." He gets up and saunters over to me, and I turn and start to walk ahead of him towards the stairs, hoping he gets the idea and follows. Which he does, and continues to do so until I stop and place my hand on the banister before looking around to make sure no one is within earshot. There's some kids running around upstairs, but their attention span isn't long enough to cover tag as well as the two disgruntled looking teenagers on the bottom floor.

John speaks first, which doesn't surprise me.

"So you wanted to talk to me?"

Cue eye roll. How observant.

"Yes, I want to talk to you." I say back, in the same tone. "I'm just...I wanted to talk about when you came into the bathroom yesterday." It sounds even more awkward out loud than in my head. Apparently John thinks so too, because he has that stupid smirk on his face again and I'm about to tell him to lose it, but he stands up straighter and it's gone for now.

"If you're going to apologize, don't bother." He's staring right at me, and I'm almost sure he can hear my brain going "woohoo!" until he continues.

"I don't deal well with chicks crying, so when I saw you -" Hold the phone.

"Okay, I wasn't crying!" I protested, making sure I wasn't raising my voice despite my urge to. "I splashed cold water on on my face, for your information, gimme a break it was my first day." _Wow, am I always this defensive?_

"Obviously." Is all he says. Raising his eyebrow and glancing around, I can tell I'm losing his attention already - _damn, he's worse than I am_ - so I just get right to the point and blurt it out.

"I'm sorry. About what I said." My eyes wince like the words hurt me. They're said so rarely it's almost like they do. John shifts his weight to his other leg, and sticks his chin out defiantly. I'm almost nervous to hear his reply.

"You hated mutants before you knew, didn't you?"

I can actually feel the blood leaving my face. And yet still, my whole head is starting to throb. Hammer, meet nail. _Charlotte, you're offically a huge asshole._ Way to go.

"It's not..." I shake my head and try to stammer out something - anything that will satisfy him right now, because then I dragged him out here for nothing, and he's already pissed at me and thinks I was crying. Excuses run through my head so fast I can't catch any of them, and he starts to turn away before I finally blurt one out that has at least a bit of truth behind it.

"I didn't know any better." He stops and looks at me, his expression unreadable. He finally says something after what feels like several minutes of me standing there with my arms down at my sides, once again embarrassed and defeated. But it wasn't exactly the response I hoped for.

"Nope. You didn't." And back to the kitchen he goes. I'm left there, wondering if our little meeting had any effect on him whatsoever, when I hear the clock in the foyer sound the half-hour, and my attention is once again back on my much more important worry of this afternoon.

_12:30._ I hate being late for things so I take that as my cue to get ready for my meeting with the professor. I look back to the kitchen once more before tracing my way back up the steps to my room, grabbing my bag and my sunglasses.

I'm trying not to focus on how bloody scary this is going to be, and it's really difficult until I step outside onto the grounds, and see Professor Munroe sitting casually on a bench near a gigantic fountain in the middle of the grass. It was so calm, almost prestine looking...she smiled when she saw me, and I could tell she had been in my position before. That helped a little, but I strongly doubt she partook in anything like I did before she came to school here, or the way mutants were dealt with...I shook those things out of my head as I approached her and she stood up and greeted me with a handshake.

"I'm glad you decided to show up, Charlotte." Her smile grows even bigger when she says that, and I can tell she's being sincere. Her hair is still it's wild white and black mixed, looking even brighter against her dark skin and eyes. She looks so exotic, and I can't help but notice how different she looks outside of the classroom. She doesn't have any papers or notes with her, which irks me a little, but I hold back on commenting until I fully understand what it is I'm about to do here.

"I know at first this is going to be hard for you, which is why I decided to have the meeting out here while everyone is in class, as well as in a place where you can experiment with a variety of materials." She says calmly. I look around, and true enough, there isn't another student in sight, save for the odd stray few who are running late for their afternoon classes. I figured Marie and her friends were still watching TV, or doing whatever it was they did on Friday afternoons. I prayed they wouldn't come out here and see me 'noobing out' as it were. Besides the water fountain, there isn't really anything around other than a stone bench, and some trees. The grass of course is everywhere, but what is she getting at? She starts talking again almost as soon as I question it.

"You said your mutation triggers under sudden panic, or stress, is that right?" She sits down again, and motions for me to sit next to her, but at the moment I need to stand. For now.

"Uh...yes." I choke out. I would kind of kill for Warren's wings right about now, I would love to fly away and not have to deal with this...but then I know it'll just be here when I come back. Besides, what are my other options. Oh, right, I have none. I roll my eyes in frustration, and try to continue.

"I've never done it on purpose. It's only happened twice so far." She watches me intently as I tell her my deepest secret, and despite the fact that she knows exactly how I feel, I'm amazed that she isn't creeped out. She nods, and then stands up and steps in front of me and places her hand on my shoulder.

"Here at the school, the students are taught how to control their powers, and summon them at will if their body allows. I'm going to ask you to try to focus on how you feel when your mutation triggers. Do you think you can do that?" She says it very softly, which I assume to mean she knows how hard this is going to be. I stare at her silent for a minute, before I close my eyes and nod, without a thought in my mind of how I'm going to do this.

She asks me to sit down on the edge of the fountain, and place my hand palm down on the stone. _Easy enough_. Then she asks me to clear my mind (_for cripes sake, easier said than done_) and focus on how I felt the last time my mutation triggered. Which to my dismay, was fear. Raw, gigantic fear.

My eyes were shut so tight they almost hurt. I sat there for a second, trying to focus on the silence around me. It was surprisingly easy, considering. I thought back to when Beth called me last night, and the moment when I felt my hand start to tingle against the wall. Then I started to actually feel it again. I snapped my eyes open and ripped my hand from the stone like it had burnt me. Professor Munroe was still there, watching me intently, I guess she knew I'd freak the first time. She wasn't disappointed or anything, she just nodded and reminded me there was nothing to be afraid of, and asked me to try again. Only this time, not to stop the feeling when it came, and focus on what it was I was touching.

Okay.

Again. I'm back on the phone, with Beth. I'm touching the wall..well, the stone now. My hand is tingling...I don't like this, it's wierd...but she said to keep going, keep going Char...it's never been this strong before, fuck something's wrong, it's not just in my arm...relax, just focus...I can practically hear my heart pounding in my ears, but I can still hear her coaching me, telling me to keep going, to relax,

…_it's alright, I'm safe...breath already, you're gonna pass out...wait a minute, I feel slanted, how the _–

I open my eyes, and look down at my arm. And I just about lose my shit.

"whatheFUCK!?" Okay. I blink a few times, to make sure I'm not crazy or hallucinating, or high, or...god, please tell me I'm crazy. This isn't what happened before.

My arm isn't just stone... it's actually IN the stone. I'm up to my elbow in fountain rock. And oh wonderful, Munroe's got this shit eating grin on her face like it's _cute_ that I'm sitting like this. I'm bloody well reeling, and I can't even collect myself enough to say a proper word, I just stay there with my mouth hanging open because I'm scared if I say something and freak out I'll be stuck there. I look up at the Professor with a panicked look, and she knows right away that I have no idea how the hell I'm gonna get myself out, but then she laughs - she fucking _laughs_, I can't believe this shit - and simply tells me to close my eyes and picture myself pulling my arm out and returning to normal.

"Are you kidding me?" I don't even care how scared I sounded, my arm was stuck in the goddamn fountain and it's not FUNNY and she's still grinning at me _I hate her I hate her I hate her I_..._oh my shit it's working_.

_Come on, would you rather sit here all day looking like a goon stuck in the fountain?_

I imagined the latter and suddenly my arm loosened from the stone as if it was being pulled from the water it was encasing, so easily I almost lost my balance in the other direction. I held myself up with both hands, telling myself both of them were to stay on top of the stone and go nowhere else or as God as my witness I'll cut them off, and I couldn't do anything expect smile at Professor Munroe.

I had just learned something much more important that I had expected. I couldn't just absorb the properties of an object.

I could become a part of it.


	6. Flashbacks and Jello Shooters

**A/N:** Okay, I watched all of season 3 and 4 of X-Men (the series) in the past few days, and I have a huge writing itch.  
I have HUGE plans for Charlotte later on, and possibly a side storyline for John... if I muster up the cajones to do it.  
I hope you like this chapter! From now on, I'm going to start replying to some reviews, so I'll start by thanking everyone who has reviewed SYOF so far: **_Anna, Africanflame, darkwhiterose, Bobby's Icequeen, naturelle, MG, quicksilver2402004, E.L. Lockhart, FindersKeepers, OnexxLastxxShot, Ratdogtwo, Levanna, Takerslady, naturelle, Toxic-Neon, stormy, Little Hobbit,_** and **_erica222_**... thank you all so much! You guys are what keeps me writing this crap.;)

Now, onward!

* * *

I'm more of a night person, and it was still moderately warm outside, so I made the best of it and ventured out onto the grounds that evening with the sole intention of laying on the grass and just...being. It was very calming for me, and one of the few things that made me feel like home. 

At first I was hesitant to tell anyone about what happened during my meeting with Professor Munroe - well, wouldn't you be? - and I was getting kind of tired of the constant _"it went fine"_'s that kept pouring out of my mouth whenever someone would ask me about it. It sounds rude, but hey - I'm new at this thing, and I'm still scared, and my friends' faces are still in the back of my mind.

I can't stop thinking about where they are, how they're doing..._what they've done since I left..._I never used to care, really, when they went on their mutant hunts. Or at least I tried to make myself not care.

When we were all younger, maybe about thirteen...kids in the neighbourhood started changing. What was weird about it was that it was never the _same _change - they all changed differently, and not always at the same age. Of course, it was the parents who started talking. You know how suburban families get when they're introduced to something new - afraid.

_I remember being in the kitchen and hearing my mother on the phone, and for some reason I had decided to not tune out her conversation for that short moment._

_"...I swear, Karen, the girl walked right through the damn wall...you're damn right I called the police, as if I would let something like that run around near our kids! God knows how many houses she's robbed...he smashed a WHAT!?...you're joking, with his bare hands? Karen we have to take the kids out of school, this isn't right, who can be safe with these things running around!...No, I raised my daughter proper, there won't be any of this 'mutant' disease in my house, I'll tell you that much, never happen..."_

_What in the hell was she going on about? A girl walked through a wall? _

_That was only the beginning of a non-stop stream of events. Kids would keep getting pulled out of school with no warning, conversations would constantly be overheard at the grocery store about who was to blame for literally every crime in the city, no matter how minor. Kids were changing literally overnight - and it was really bad if it was a physical thing. Everything from scales to fully metal skin. People started to panic. Was it a plague of some kind? A disease? Whatever it was, it wasn't normal. And of course, that means the kids who ended up sticking around got it good from the ones who remained 'human'. Deep down, I guess we were all just afraid. I think I was, anyway. My friends seemed more angry about the whole thing. We were inseperable since we were like two - we practically shared one collective brain._

_We lived in a pretty small town, so we actually had those 'town meetings' where the self-made important people gathered to discuss events and whatnot...when more of them started changing, naturally a meeting was called. I couldn't go, but my parents were more than happy to tell me what was said._

_The mutant kids had to be taken out of school, because they were 'affecting the work of other students'. It was a dangerous thing overall (re: new and scary) and of course, when you're younger and something scares your parents, it tends to scare you, too._

_My friends and I were those typical kids who hung out in the baseball diamond at night, drinking underage, smoking, just being general nuisances that most teenagers tend to be at one point or another. One kid who used to hang around us, Colin, stopped showing up at school. This hit a bit of a sore note, since he was the first of our friends to change. One night the group of us were doing nothing in particular, and he decided to show himself after almost two weeks of being gone. Now that I look back...he should have stayed away. He thought we would understand, that we wouldn't freak out like everyone else had - I was scared when I saw what he could do, I'll admit it - but when he showed us the spikes coming out of his skin, I backed away like he was going to attack me. Eric just lost it. He was drunk, but I knew part of it was he was afraid, too. He threw his bottle at Colin, eyes wide and angry. Colin obviously didn't expect this. He screamed at Eric, asking what the hell he was doing._

_"It's me man, it's Colin! Are you crazy?"_

_"FUCK OFF!" Eric wouldn't hear it. "You're a fucking MUTANT, that's sick! Don't come near me, I swear to God..." I could do nothing but watch as everything went down. Colin stepped forward to try to talk to Beth and I...Andrew grabbed him, I guess forgetting about the spikes. He got hurt pretty bad, and thought it was on purpose. That did it. The guys knocked Colin to the ground...they just kept kicking him, screaming "mutie" and "freak" ...Beth was smiling, I was...empty. I was afraid of Colin for being a mutant, afraid of what would happen if I changed..._

If I changed.

I laughed to myself from the irony, despite the fact that I was continually feeling more and more guilt for what I let happen to so many kids. I still had no clue if and how I was going to tell anyone back home.

"What's so funny?"

I opened my eyes to see a dimly-lit boy with badly spiked up hair, and a lighter in his hand.

_Damn._

"Just thinking about back home." I responded blankly and closed my eyes again, unimpressed by this interruption of me-time.

"Oh, the good old days when you hated mutants?"

Oh screw this.

"For the love of..." I practically jumped to my feet, completely suprised and immediately pissed off.

"What do you want, John? You came out here to pick a fucking fight with me?" Who _is_ this prick?

His face didn't change in the slightest. He just stood where he was, looking my face over, as if he was studying me.

"Marie asked me to come get you." He said plainly. Obviously he couldn't resist his own reasons to talk to me on the way, though.

"Did you think you were better than us?"

"Why is it any of your business? Why did you even come out here? I don't need to explain myself to _you_." Yeah, my defenses were up alright. Maybe it was because this whole thing was so unexpected.

"Most kids here changed when they were little. You changed way later. You were well aware of the existence of mutants and I'm sure as hell you knew some. Did you think you were better because you didn't change?" I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he was trying to get at. He was demanding, but at the same time, he sounded so curious. Suddenly I didn't feel so pissed off.

"No, I just -" He cut me off. He knew exactly what I was going to say.

"Didn't know any better? Please." He looked away, unimpressed with my repetitive excuse. This was getting tiresome. He comes out here, runs his mouth, and I'm left defending myself again. No more.

"What do you want me to say, that I'm sorry? For not wanting to be abandoned by my friends and family if it ever happened to me? Excuse me for fucking living!" Back to pissed off. I glared at him and walked past him back toward the mansion. I didn't want to say that much out loud. Now I'm angry AND embarrased.

"Abandoned? You wouldn't know the first thing about it."

Wait.

"What?" I stopped, and turned back to him. He was still in the exact same spot, back turned to me. Still silent, he turned around and kept his eyes in front of him as he walked toward me.

"John?" My voice was quiet, but it was enough to stop him. He was beside me now, and brought his eyes up to meet mine. The moonlight was in his face, making his eyes an even brighter blue than they normally were, an almost eerie grey. He didn't say anything, he just...looked at me.

"Did any of your friends change? Like I mean, friends who you spent a good chunk of your life with."

I just nodded, unable to answer. Speaking to front of John had yet to be productive.

"Did you abandon _them_?"

I broke eye contact with him then. It was obvious what my answer was.  
I had abandoned friends, out of fear of being abandoned myself.  
And this was the first time I had actually realized how selfish my life had been. I never thought about how those kids felt...how Colin felt...or any of them. I was too worried about what would happen if I was ever on the recieving end to even consider anyone else.  
My eyes were starting to burn.  
And he was still looking at me.  
I finally looked back - ashamed at pretty much everything, and opened my mouth to say something.  
I couldn't find a single word.

John looked away, back toward the mansion, and then back to me, and brought his hand up into his hair, pushing it out of his eyes.

"I wanted you to understand why it is you came here. Because most of us didn't have a choice. Most of us..." He looked away again. "...well, most of us weren't as lucky as you were when you found out you changed."

I wasn't sure how to handle this right now. I looked around, searching for...anything, as if an answer would be physically in front of me if I could just locate it. But alas, nothing. Then John's features softened, and he looked over to the mansion again.

"Marie's waiting. Let's go inside." I didn't move, still stunned by both my own thoughts, and the way John went about getting them out of me. I guess he noticed, because he tugged the bottom of my shirt to get my attention, and half-smiled.

"Relax. I'm not normally this nice. I just got sick of wanting to argue every time I saw you. It was getting annoying." With that, he left me and made his way to the mansion. I followed, still completely unsure of what had just happened, but I guess it was better than arguing. I made a mental note to try to actually explain everything one day. As little as I had said, I did feel better.

We ended up in Marie's room, with Marie, Bobby, Warren, Kitty, and Piotr. The beds were moved to the side, and everyone was in what appeared to be their pajamas. This could only mean one thing.

"Hey! Pajama party!" Kitty waved at me, smiling. I laughed inwardly, both welcomed by everyone's smiling faces, and the fact that I was about to partake in the first 'pajama party' since I was maybe ten. But hell, I could use some chill time. I jogged down the hall to change into my pajamas, and returned to find Marie's door closed. Knocking quietly, I was greeted by Kitty's face through the door. I nearly fell over myself. She laughed, and came all the way through the door.

"Sorry! Just making sure you weren't a teacher!" I shot her a confused glance before she went back through the door and opened it for me from the other side. I stepped into the room, and the door was closed behind me. I looked at everyone, puzzled, until Bobby finally called out from the bathroom.

"They're ready!" Everyone turned to look, and the boy emerged from the bathroom carrying a huge tray of - oh _hell _yes - jello shooters. Freshly chilled by Bobby, much to my amusement.

"Pajama party?" I looked at Kitty and Marie, who exchanged glances and smiled.

"Well - that's what we told everyone so they would be too uninterested to bug us. It's more like a 'welcome to mutant high, charlotte' party!" Kitty looked so excited she might burst. I was grinning from ear to ear. This was awesome. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

They were throwing me a freaking _party._

_  
_The shooters were gone almost as quickly as they were made. And even faster, they were made again and insta-chilled with a single wave of Bobby's hand. It was like an open bar minus the drunken idiots.

Sort of.

-----

The music was getting louder, our voices even moreso. Warren and Piotr had called it a night. Warren was teased for being a lightweight, and he seemed pretty out of it. Poor guy. He hiccups alot. It's cute though - I think I'll tease him about it later. Piotr, I suppose, just wasn't feeling the vibe. He seemed to quiet down as the night continued, and eventually just left.

Me, I was very contently buzzed. I loved it. Kitty was passed out, her arm was phased through Marie's bed, and it was just about the most hilarious thing I had ever seen at that point. I'm not sure why, but it was just really, really funny.

"Guys! Guys, look...I wonder if she'll end up downstairs!"

What? If you were there, you'd laugh, too.

I wasn't even really paying attention to the other concious occupants of the room, I was just sitting on the bed, laughing to myself at the parts of Kitty I could still see. Marie and Bobby were momentarily in the own little world, cuddling to the extent that they could, every now and then stealing little kisses here and there, but they had spent more than enough time telling me stories of past nights in the mansion, which seemed to be each more interesting than the last.

I looked up in my hazy state, wondering if someone else was sharing in my amusement. John was sitting across from me in a chair, with a competely entertained expression on his face. His lidded eyes gave away that he had enjoyed his share of jello shooters as well.

"Hey." He nodded at me. He looked good, sitting there, leaning on his knees, hair in his face.

_Easy, you're a little drunk, he's obnoxious. Okay, he's cute, but...aw crap. _

"Hey yourself." I held his gaze, a smirk growing on my own face. I patted a spot on the bed next to me, inviting him to join me. He shook his head, and for a second I felt rather put off because of it. But then he got up and pointed with his thumb out the window.

"Let's leave these two geeks alone to be gross together, I could use some air." He made a face, nodding towards the other two. I laughed, and was glad someone shared my sentiment.

"Deal." I got up, took one amused glance at Kitty, and left the room with John. I looked back before opening the door, and got a quick wave goodbye from Marie.

The hallways were empty and had an almost dreamlike state to them...I took it as a combination of the lamps and the liquor. Fair enough. I trodded along the hallway in my sock feet, John next to me. I then realized he had been right - I need air. Like..._now. _A sudden wave of heat and dizzyness swept over me as we came into view of the french doors that lead to the grounds, and I grabbed at the closest stationary object for support - which ended up being John's arm. I blinked hard and looked up at him, apologetic and yet amused at how lightheaded I had become, which I guess was the giveaway for the grin I had on my face, keeping in mind we _were_ out past curfew and had to keep a very low profile.

_I promise that wasn't planned.__  
_  
"Whoa, easy there tipsy...you okay?" He had a laugh at my awkward moment and held my arm until I steadied myself, and we exited the mansion onto the grounds, which, to no suprise of mine, were pitch black save for the mansions security lights. As bright as they were, they only let you see so far out into the night.

I continued out onto the terrace, mesmerized by how clearly I could see the stars from here. It was surreal, I never did this at home. Then, realizing I was suddenly alone and in the dark, I stopped and remembered how stupidly afraid of the dark I was.

_Fuck._

"John? Where did you -"

_click__  
_  
I stopped mid sentence, and looked back over my shoulder to see him facing me, standing totally still. and I guessed he had just watched me wander away only to lose track of him. The click, I had heard, was his frigging lighter, again.

I can't see a damn thing, for the most part. He's almost a silhouette against the bright lights behind him. I don't know if he can actually see me.

"That's really creepy, ya know. Are you coming? Or...where are we going anyway, I can't see anything."

I saw his lighter ignite again, and he brought it towards him. I couldn't see his hands, at least not until the flame seemed to jump suddenly, and then grow into a sphere of flame the size of a baseball. His face was visible now, and he was staring at the fire with a calm expression on his face. He looked over at me, then back at the flame...and it started to move towards me.

Of course, I've never seen this before, so naturally I'm completely stunned and I just stand there and hope my mouth isn't hanging open in awe. The flame stops about a foot away from me, and John appears behind it shortly after, grinning.

"Better?" _Show off.__  
_  
I nod, and he starts walking further out into the night, the flame obediently following. Not wasting any time, I stayed as close to it as I could without being bothered by the heat, and caught up to him. I think we've been walking for about 10 minutes, but who knows. Neither of us speak, and I don't think either of us minded. It was nice, but my curiosity got the best of me.

"So...where are we going?" I had to ask, I don't like walking around aimlessly in the dark with a floating ball of fire without at least being aware of my destination. He doesn't answer, just keeps walking, and from what I can make out we've ended up at a small treeline, with a rather picture-esque wooden bench being the only other thing I could see around.

"I come out here sometimes when I get sick of everyone at the school." He says plainly, and sits down on the bench.

"It's hard to find a place where I can actually hear myself think." I find all this to be rather out of character coming from him, especially considering most of our interaction has been negative.

I didn't sit down. I knew I would just want to stand up again after I asked him what I was itching to know.

"Why are you so bitter towards me?" Liquid courage. Or jello courage. Either way, he looks at me and I can tell this was the last thing he wanted to talk about. But I wasn't letting it go again. Even when he stood back up, about to protest, I stepped forward.

"Don't. Tell me right now. No yelling, no smart remarks." I kept my voice low, but I made sure he knew I was serious.

_I hope this works._

"This is stupid. I can co-exist with you but not when I'm left wondering what the hell you have against me. Tell me right now." I held his gaze, impressed with my sudden gusto.

He looked away for a second, thrown off by my sudden demand for information. But he looked back at me, studying my eyes for relevance, or maybe...trust? And waved his hand at the bench, motioning me to sit down. He followed, shifting so he was half facing me. He looked uncomfortable, I guessed he wasn't the 'share your feelings' kind of guy. But he had come at me enough times to warrant me a decent explanation. I hoped.

"Well...dammit, I hate this shit...okay do you really want to know why I brought up how you were to the kids in your town? When they changed?"

I nodded. "Yes, I really want to know why."

He looked away again, and took a deep breath, exhaling quickly. I was in for a story. I sat back, watching him intently, and I promised not to interrupt.

"Fine...I changed when I was younger than you. Like, way younger. Eleven. The whole mutant thing was just reaching the bigger cities, and it was freaking alot of people out. I was adopted, kind of an asshole kid...but I had my friends, ya know? We just hung around and defaced shit and stole from convenience stores, just stupid kid shit...but one day, we were in the woods, setting yet another pile of whatever was around on fire...and I remember being drawn to it, moreso than before...I guess I got too close, because the fucking thing practically exploded. No one knew what was going on, because nothing around could have ignited it like that. The air cleared, we all regained our composure, and I was still watching the fire...then I looked up and all my friends were staring at me, with terrified looks on their faces. Right away I thought I was on fire or something, so I looked down, and...a small ball of fire was just resting in my hand. Resting. Not burning me. I remember bringing my hand up to my face and just...staring. The fire wasn't burning me, it was...it liked me, or something. For a split second I was so excited. I mean, this was so cool to an eleven year old! But then one of my buddies screamed, 'Allerdyce is a mutie! The fire can't burn him!' and suddenly I wasn't so excited anymore. I shook my hand trying to get the fire out, Iooked at all of them and they were coming towards me like I was some sort of..." He winced, and looked down at the ground. "...freak. I tried to get a word in, tell them I was playing a joke, or something, but...man, they beat the snot outta me. I was the smallest one so I didn't stand a chance. I ended up in the hospital...they threatened to do it again if I didn't lie and say I wiped out on my bike...they told their parents, who told mine, and man I can't even get into how pissed off my foster dad was. He busted into my room a few days later, drunk and screaming about a monster in his home...he decked me in the face, and all I can remember after that was his cigar bursting into flames and me running out the door. I never went back...the professor found me a few weeks later, and..been here ever since."

_Jesus. Tapdancing. Christ.__  
_  
I just stare at him. I couldn't talk, breathe, blink...what have I just been told? This whole time I was feeling sorry for myself, and thinking about back home...I was no better than those kids who beat him up all those years ago. This boy, sitting in front of me, was robbed of the only family, friends, and home, he had ever known...because he was born with an extra gene. An extra gene which every person the mansion...myself included...possessed.

I want to throw up.

"John, I..." My voice was barely a whisper. I didn't know what I was going to say.

He looks back at me, and suddenly his expression changes. Next thing I know, he reaches up, and brushes his thumb just underneath my eye. I look down and see a small black smudge..._am I crying?__  
_  
I meet his gaze again meekly.

"I was such a fucking idiot." Is all I can spit out. It's true - I was shit, I was a coward. I had no right to be here among these people. They were so nice to me and had it been a few months ago I wouldn't have given them a second glance. And yet this boy, was here, giving me the best reason he could think of to show me why he had such a bitter view of people like me. Or like I had been, or...I didn't even know. But he had told me something I know alot of other students here were completely unaware of. And for that, I respected him, wether he had done it out of pride, or because of the liquor, he had still done it.

"Yeah, you were." He repeated, and then a small smirk appeared on his lips.

"Now you're almost tolerable."

He winks at me, and I sputter out a laugh and wipe my eyes with the bottom of my shirt. I'm not sure what to make of this current situation...me, John, a firelit inebriated confession, and a bench, in the dark. I giggle at the thought, immediately picturing some teen movie plot point. John raised his eyebrows, silently asking me what I was thinking. I confessed the previous image, and he laughed and shifted to the back of the bench, stretching his arm behind me.

"Wow. That's lame, even for you." He grinned at the shot taken, and continued to stare out into the blank night. I ended up lazily leaning myself against his chest, my head on his shoulder. It was innocent, and comfortable. I think I needed this.

We sat like that for a while, silent. I think I dozed off for a few, because I suddenly opened my eyes to find it much cooler outside - and darker. My shoulder felt heavy, too...I shifted a little and stopped when I realized John's arm had ended up around me. I was about to make some sort of sarcastic remark, when I noticed the slow pattern of John's breathing, and the fact that I could no longer see him - he had fallen asleep, fireball extinguished along with his conciousness.

I'll give Marie and the others the excuse that I was too tired to make the effort of risking singed hair by waking him up and then going all the way back inside. If they even remember us leaving.

Either way - I didn't want to leave the bench, or the peacefulness of what John and I had shared, at all tonight.

So I put my head back down on his shoulder, and let the sound of the crickets take over.

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know. Before y'all get in a huff over this seemingly jumping-the-gun cuteness...remember, we're dealing with the 'I-don't-know-how-to-deal-with-my-feelings-so-I-burn-things' pyromaniac, here. ;) Things aren't always what they seem...stay reading, you'll see. evil grin. 


	7. Sleep It Off

I don't remember my dream last night.

Whatever it was, I'm sure it was much more pleasant than the feeling of my face slamming onto the wooden bench, startling me awake. My eyes shot open, my breath hitched into my chest, and I looked around frantically, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Wake UP." I scrunched my face and looked up at John, who obviously had woken up before me. I briefly recalled the night prior, remembering that we had fallen asleep on the bench, just after he had admitted his pre-Xavier's life story.

I sat up, rubbing my cheek, glaring at him. What in the flying hell was going on? So we had fallen asleep outside, no big deal, right? Was today Sunday? Would anyone even have noticed that we weren't inside? What time is it, anyway? I sat up, and realized John was less than casual about finding himself outside this morning.

"_Fuck_..." He ran his hands through his hair roughly, staring wearily at the mansion.

"What's the matter?" I asked him, almost becoming worried myself. He didn't answer. He just kept looking at me, wide-eyed. I'm starting to wonder if I groped him in my sleep or something. Oh, shit...did I grope him in my sleep? Did he grope _me_? Oh crap.

"John." I said, a bit louder. "What's the -"

"I can't believe... look, " His voice lowered a little, and he held his hands up at me in that _this is exactly what the deal is_ way, "...I didn't tell you _shit_ last night. Okay?" I raised an eyebrow, holding his gaze as he took turns looking between me and the grass. He looked angry...and confused, and really embarassed. Then it dawned on me. The most cliché thing, EVER. He hadn't meant to tell me as much as he did, last night. But come on, there's no way...

"Oh come on, you weren't that drunk, were you?" I asked, half-laughing in an effort to calm him down. Or something.

His face became something resembling a snarl like I had just offended him horribly. Apparently I wasn't very funny in the morning.

_Here we go._ I mentally braced myself for whatever he was about to say.

"Of course I wasn't! We were just talking, and...you caught me off guard! Why the hell did you _do_ that? Dammit..." His tone was so accusatory I almost just told him I was sorry out of habit. But I had no reason to apologize. Yeah, I was rather demanding last night to get information, but shit, the guy was as vague as hell up until then and I was tired of feeling the need to tip-toe around him without being absolutely sure he wouldn't go all diva bitch on me again.

I sat there for a second, trying to put together a valid reason why he was acting so ridiculous. "Are you listening to yourself?" He just stared at me, agape.

"So you told me about your past. So what? I'm not going to go and run to, like, Marie and tell - " He turned his head and shut his mouth, like he was going to start yelling again.

"Oh, _stop_. You're being a fucking baby." I don't like being woken up with benches in my face. It makes me cranky. He looked even worse, though. I guess calling him a baby wasn't the smartest thing to do. Ten points again for me.

"Just keep your goddamn mouth shut. I swear to God, if I hear a damn thing from _anyone_, I will fucking lose it on you." I didn't like the look he had in his eyes. It was threatening. It scared and confused me. Especially considering yesterday, liquor or not.

I shrank back like a punished child, nodding but not able to meet his gaze any longer. I was too confused to deal with this at my full strength right now.

"Anyone." He spat at me, starting to back away from me and head towards the school. Leaving me there, stunned, and sore. I looked past him, and saw no one else on the grounds. I shifted a bit, and thought about calling to him, maybe try to repair whatever it was I done wrong, but finally decided against it. His shadow was stetched long out onto the grass, which told me it was still pretty early. I'm not a morning person, so the realization that I could go back to sleep, inside, in my own bed, was a bit warming despite the violent coldness I just had thrown at me. I'm not sure if that's ironic or not.

I sighed to myself, and padded along the newly damp grass a good distance behind John back to the mansion. He was walking alot quicker than usual - anxious to get inside...away from me, away from...whatever happened last night, which I don't for the life of me understand why he's so...whatever he is.

I get back up to my room, not before watching John slink away down to his end of the hallway and toss a quick sideways glance at me before slamming his door. I close my door behind me, and lean back against it, exhaling and staring up at the ceiling out of exhaustion.

What the hell is with this guy? But then it starts to sink in...you know, the female part of me that can't help but think it's somehow _my_ fault, even though there is no possibly way anything could have lead to that conclusion...ugh.

I'm actually rather upset now. I feel stupid for how I was with him last night. Casual, relaxed...playful, even. I will swear up and down I wasn't drunk enough to even remotely warrant any stupid behaviour, and I know he wasn't either. I won't lie, I actually kind of liked sitting out there with him, without the nagging or arguing that had plauged us both since the day we met.

I could label him one of those guys who put on a tough exterior, but hasn't he been here long enough to have been outed by everyone? Then again, he might be really good at hiding it...but I don't see why I was chosen to be the exception...and the subject of his wrath soon to follow. I was the new girl, maybe that was it. He probably thinks I don't know any better. Now I'm thinking he _has _told other people, and gone through the same 'aaargh don't tell anyone or i'll get madder blaaah' schpiel that he did with me this morning. That made me feel a bit better. I decided a bit of sleep would right my questioning mind, so I climbed onto my soft indoor bed, not caring about my dirty clothes I was wearing, and drifted off to nap land.

-----

A few happily slept through hours later, and I had practically forgotten about this morning. Well, I was telling myself that, anyway. I tossed my slept-in-twice-over clothes into my 'laundry corner', as I called it, and hopped into the shower real quick before I made my way downstairs to see what it was these kids got up to on a Sunday. I wasn't quite used to the whole boarding school thing. I was starting to miss my mom a little - I'll write her a letter tomorrow, I think.

My hair looks hilarious when it's not styled. I'm not kidding. It's really layered, so it just kind of...puffs. I didn't have my hair dryer with me, so I decided to just tie it back into a piece-y ponytail thing. easy enough. It was Sunday, after all.

As I suspected, the younger students were planted in front of the TV, watching some mindless cartoon. I kind of envied them, in a way. They were better adjusted here than I was, and around half my age. I leaned against the doorway, and watched them as they so freely played, talked, laughed...I wondered how many of them were able to go home to their families, or how many of them had to run away out of fear...like I did. I felt a small pang of guilt at that thought.

Why hasn't my mom tried to call me?

I snapped my head towards the professor's office. Was he in there? I feel adventurous again, so I decide to go find out. I'm not making a sound as my socks pad along the soft carpet towards the dark varnished double doors. As I reach the doorway, I can tell it's opened a bit, letting a sliver of white light crack through. I stopped just before the doors, leaning my head towards the opening to see if anyone was in there.

_Yes, Charlotte, it's alright to come in._

I just about fell over. That voice didn't come from the room, it came from inside my head. I almost screamed, but thankfully I remembered that Marie had once mentioned that the Professor was a very powerful telepathic, and frequently used that little method if he needed to see some of his students privately. It'd be nice to get a bit of a warning though, or I might have been convinced I was flat out insane.

When I had recomposed myself, I pulled the door open and stepped into the Professor's office. It was bright, and didn't look much different than a University Dean's office would look. Several hundred books lined the ceiling high shelves, and the colour scheme was the same as in the rest of the school. I was instantly calmed the moment I set eyes on the Professor - I hadn't met him before now. He was in a wheelchair beside his desk, as if he was expecting me. He was tall, from what I could tell...bald, thin, and had very kind eyes and one of those welcoming smiles that would make even me feel safe in a split second. Regardless, I couldn't seem to take any more than a few steps into his office before I could do nothing but close the door behind me and stand still and completely forget why I was there.

"How are you finding your stay here, Charlotte?" He asked finally. I knew he already knew my answer, but I told him anyway.

"It's wonderful, sir, thank you." I actually blushed at my admittance. I'm not sure what it was, but he made me feel so pleasant, and calm. I looked away for a moment, remembering what happened this morning. I looked back at him and he gave me a knowing nod, and I knew he wouldn't press any further. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had fallen victim to one of John's outbursts.

"I'm glad to hear. Now, you wanted to ask me about your mother, did you not?"

Right to the point, I like his style.

"Yes, sir...she hasn't tried to contact me at all since I've been here." The pleasant feeling was gone, replaced by slight abandonment and worry. If something had happened, surely I would have been told. So what was going on? I looked around the room nervously, occasionally glancing at the Professor. He was just watching me, studying my reactions to my own thoughts. I couldn't feel his voice in my head, like I had outside his office. He was giving me time to myself to gather everything I had been thinking about.

"I was hoping you'd come to me soon concerning this." He said, wheeling toward me, and motioning for me to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Your case, unfortunately, isn't a rare one. You see, a number of children were recieved with somewhat less than a parent's understanding an affection once the X gene, which is what causes mutation, triggered inside them. In those cases, especially the ones who felt they had no choice but to simply run away without notice of any kind, I subconciously informed their families of a sort of "safe whereabouts" where their children had willfully come to seek refuge. I withdrew any feeling of panic or worry, and thus the guardians became comfortable with where their children had gone."

I nodded silently, shifting in my seat. There was so much more to this than I had expected and he hadn't even mentioned my mother yet.

"As you are well aware, mutation occurs at different ages in different children. Those of you whose mutations triggered much later have had to deal with a significantly larger amount of stress when dealing with friends and guardians who are...less than tolerant of our differences. Of course I try to refrain from any mind alteration unless it is absolutely necessary. Sadly, in your case, I felt the best course of action was to have your mother believe that her and myself had discussed your schooling here some time ago, and she had happliy agreed."

I wasn't sure what to make of this. The Professor had gone inside my mother's mind, created an entire conversion...and this whole time she knew I was here?

"But Professor," I finally spoke, barely above a whisper. "My mother, she's...well, she isn't exactly tolerant of mutants. I don't think she's be okay with me being at a mutant school, I mean, wouldn't she eventually recall everything she used to feel?" I had an image in my mind of my mother suddenly waking up one morning, realizing what her daughter actually was, and causing nothing short of the armageddon.

The Professor just smiled. It wasn't a comforting smile, it was more of a calming attempt and I knew there was bad news coming. "There is a bit more to the story, Miss Stanford. You see, the meeting I created with your mother, as well as several other students here at the school, sadly cannot be permanent, as I find it to be far too invasive. I was hoping to speak to you soon about this, so naturally I'm glad that you chose this time to finally come see me. You're going to have to return to your home, and speak to your mother. You do not have to go alone, however, and I'm sure there will be students who will accompany you, and there will also be a teacher present."

_Shit._

My stomach felt like it jumped into my face. I knew it was too good to be true. Staying here without really having to explain to anyone back home where I was, had a certain appeal to it, I'll admit. But I was so preoccupied with everything going on here that I hadn't put too much thought into what I was going to tell anyone back home. When Beth called, I just panicked. She hadn't called back...I hope she bought my lame story. It was pretty far fetched - a guy I met at the fair? Come _on_. I would expect she'd want to meet him when I did come home - and I know she'd be around when I went home to talk to my mom. They would all be. Jamie, Andrew, Beth...it was almost too much to think about right now. I guess the Professor took notice of my worry, because he cleared his throat which immediately got my attention.

"Yes?" I looked at him, fully aware of how weak my expression was.

"You really needn't worry too much, Charlotte." He was so sure of himself. "The anticipation is almost always the worst part. You won't be alone, and regardless of the outcome, you'll have a home here." He paused, making sure I understood and at least somewhat agreed with what he was telling me. "I'll give you a few days to decide how you want to go about it and who you want to accompany you. Is there anything else?"

"No." I said right away. He had answered my question, and then some.

"Alright, Charlotte. Remember, I am here if and when you need me." Gosh, I'd never believed anything more in my life. It's no wonder the man was in charge of the entire school.

"Thank you Professor. I'll be back soon." I smiled and exited the room, the comfort of our conversation lightly covering the fear and anxiety that was about to blow up all over the place once I sat down and took the time to figure out what the hell I was going to do.

I ended up passing none other than John in the hallway, I am now convinced he does this on purpose to piss me off. He's just standing by the kitchen, flicking his stupid lighter, seemingly focusing on nothing. I think he's waiting for someone. I kept my eyes on him as I walked by, not changing my expression an inch. He noticed me as I got to the stairs, looking away quickly, scowling at the floor. But I had far more important things to focus on at the moment than John's embarassing confessions the night before. I wonder how much long he's going to keep this up for. I was thankful to have him out of my head for the time I was with the Professor. I hadn't even thought of finding Marie and asking her how her night went after I had last seen her. I'm about to open my door and I'm stopped by a torn piece of paper taped in front of my face.

_Charlotte, _

_Come to my room. I need to talk to you. It's important. _

_Marie. _

I took the note off the door and held it in my hand. Good timing, even though it didn't really sound like a pleasant note. I scrunched up the note, and shoved it into my pocket, heading down the hallway towards Marie's room. Sure enough, knocking on the door revealed that she was still waiting for me in her room, and she was alone. I suddenly grew rather nervous when her expression upon seeing me was a bit wary, even upset. I didn't take my eyes off hers as I enteed her room and she closed the door behind me. I stayed standing, and she did as well. She broke our eye contact, and walked over to the window, silent and well aware that I was still watching her. I didn't say anything...I could tell she was going to be the one to speak first. After all, she left the note for a reason. Finally she inhaled quickly and turned to me, and I inadvertently braced myself for what she seemed so hesitant to tell me.

"What happened with you 'n John last night..?"

_OH. FOR THE LOVE. OF. GOD.__  
_  
As soon as the scene of John going mental and tearing me a new one finished replaying in my head, I could do nothing but stare wide-eyed at her, my mouth wide open in absolute _"what did you just say to me?"_ shock.

I guess she noticed.

"Charlotte, hun? What happened?" She pressed. "You guys left last night 'n John was angry as anythin' at lunch today... I mentioned your name an' he just up an' left the room." Her mouth was almost in a frown.

Now I had to decide what I was going to tell her, and I had to decide in about five seconds. Marie was the closest thing I had to a friend here, and I didn't want to lie to her...but on the other hand, if I told her why John was so angry, he would more than likely find out, and well, that would basically be disaster personified. So I pieced it together, and met her halfway.

"We got in an arguement." _Yeah, just a tad._ "And it got pretty heated." In a way, I was right. But it was just vague enough that I hadn't ratted on John, and I had told Rogue the truth as well. I was pretty satisfied with myself. She smiled, and laughed to herself, looking to the doorway.

"I shoulda guessed, John's got a temper on him! I've always thought it's from his mutation, either that or he's just generally crabby." I smiled back, relieved. I was happy enough to leave this one alone.

"Glad it wasn't anything serious. You guys'll be fine, he never stays mad long." She motioned to the door. "Wanna go for a walk? I wanna see your powers at work, they sound really cool!"

"Sure." I replied immediately, partly shocked at how excited her suggestion made me. Just then I remembered where I had been before her room, and I held my arm up to stop her leaving. She turned to me, confused. "What?"

"I was just talking to the Professor before I came here," I started, "and we got to talking about my mom. I have to go see her. Soon."

_Ugh. I don't want toooooo._ I felt like whining about it. I really did. Maybe later.

"But like hell am I going by myself, so..." I looked past her at the wall, a tad embarassed I was asking her this. "I was wondering if you could come with me..." I looked back to Marie, putting on my best puppy eyes I could muster.

She laughed, so I guess it was pretty good. "Of course I'll come with ya, sugar."

Yay! I breathed a sign of relief. I wasn't sure when I was going to go home, but I felt a bit better about it knowing I had company.

"Thanks." It was all I could say. I took that as the cue to get going, so I let Marie open the door and lead the way back out onto the grounds for our mutant play-time. I could use a break these days, this hadn't come soon enough.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, did THAT take forever. Sorry 'bout that. I had a hard time choosing where to go with this chapter, but I think it turned out alright. Thank you to all my new reviewers, and all you wonderful people who have stayed with my story since the beginning! 3 


	8. Gym Class Heroes

**A/N: **I. AM. SO. SORRY. With the combination for new job/writer's block/working my butt off/drama/etc., I have neglected this story. And I feel awful. BUT NO MORE! I'm back, and I'm writing. I've had this written forever, and finally I'm happy enough with it, although it's rather short. But don't worry, I'll be back on my game soon enough. I hope you like it!

* * *

That afternoon on the grounds with Marie proved to be more benficial than I had ever imagined. So beneficial, in fact, that we had made it our own little mini-training session over the past few weeks. Every afternoon, after lunch, we'd part from everyone else, and pick a different place, either inside or out. I taught myself to focus in a matter of seconds over our sessions, and I would choose practically anything. A tree, the grass, a table, whatever was available. Marie was kind of my spotter, to make sure I didn't end up stuck inside anything like the first time. She was the only person I told about that. I had grown to trust her, alot. She seemed like such a genuine person, and didn't even blink an eye when she walked in on one of the scariest moments of my life. She was kind of my best friend here.

I had successfully managed to avoid speaking to John since our little escapade. The odd time I'd end up having to sit near him, most often due to no one else wanting to and it was the only free spot, but I can be damn good at pretending someone isn't there if I try hard enough. I was here to study my powers, not be sucked into some emotion-consuming teenage bitchfight. That's exactly what it was. It had all the elements - confusion, misdirected anger, a boy and a girl, and one or the other being afraid of their own thoughts. I won't lie, I've been through my share of them, but since discovering my powers I decided I was going to make a fresh start with the way I handled things. Since John would simply be a hinderance in that area, I left it be, and carried on with the others who obviously were glad I made the choice to forget the issue. Kitty took it upon herself to share her own stories of 'John torment', and I quickly learned he didn't exactly have the reputation of an angel. Bitter, destructive, rude...kinda sounds like me on my off days. I laughed at her distaste, but at the same time I briefly held onto the few moments where John had seemed almost ...normal? For him, I suppose.

Anyway.

The guy who found me, Logan, had come across Marie and I's little training sessions one afternoon. I was laying on my back, trying to blend into the grass. It had become much easier to focus at this point, only taking a few seconds. It sounds cliche, but it really was mind-over-matter. Thanks to Professor Munroe, it was almost always bright and sunny outside, and so I made it a habit to stare straight up into the clouds, and focus on nothing but every little detail of what I was touching. In this case, I could almost feel every individual blade of grass, as if they were stretching up to touch my skin. I began to feel that signature tingling all over as my mutation began to trigger...and what I felt I could only describe as little snakes creeping up over my limbs, and body. I brought my head up to watch, smiling as I slowly began to resemble a me-shaped lump in the grass, eventually morphing into a completely level patch. I hitched a giggle - it was as if I wasn't even there. Marie laughed - I guess I must look pretty hilarious with my head 

sticking out of the ground, after all.

"Cute trick." A graveled voice behind me said with a hint of amusement. I craned my neck as far as I could, and made out the silhouette of Logan in front of the sun. I grinned, squinting to try to make him out a bit clearer. I was suprised this was the first time anyone had approached our little spot.

"It's alright," I said plainly, rising back up out of the ground and sitting up to face him. "Grass isn't exactly intimidating or anything, though."

I had decided my mutation was rather dull compared to the others. Ice, fire, retractable claws, energy draining - all impressive.

Logan grinned, his trademark eyebrow-raised expression across his face. "No, not exactly...but that's why I came by. Charlotte, have you ever been in a fight?"

"I can take care of myself, if that's what you mean." I looked over at Marie, who had some kind of '_I know where this is going' _look on her face. I couldn't tell if she was excited or nervous. Or both? Before I could ask Logan what he did mean, he spoke up again.

"There's a big difference, kid. If someone attacks you, and they happen to have trained fighting skills, and you don't, you won't stand a chance."

Trained fighting skills? What kind of school is this?_  
_  
"Okay..." I looked at Marie again before I turned back to Logan, thinking of how to describe anything I've done that could be considered 'fighting'. "I can defend myself pretty well on a school wrestling level. Does that count?"

He laughed, but nodded approvingly. "It's a start."

"Logan are you here for the reason I think you are?" Marie chimed in, looking between the two of us. Logan nodded again, and Marie let out a little squeak and clapped her hands.

Although calmed down, now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Can I get in on the secret, guys? Why do you want to know about my fighting skills?"

"Well I'm _assuming_ Marie failed to mention it," Logan said, looking over to Marie as he emphasized the word 'assumed', "But the older students have the option of taking part in a combat training program. It combines basic combat at close range 

and using basic weapons, as well as using your powers to yours and your team's advantage."

I stared at him for a few seconds, waiting for him to laugh, or...something. _He can't be serious._

But when his face didn't change, I realized he was. I had never actually 'fought' anyone before, save for knocking the guys around the odd time the group of us were feeling restless. I don't consider myself terribly strong, but I can work my way out of some pretty difficult holds. Eric and Andrew were both on the wrestling team in school, and constantly told me it would benefit me in the future if anyone ever attacked me.

I guess this was almost the same. Sort of. I mean, only now there's people with superpowers. I ran over the offer briefly in my head. It was certainly a step up from a typical gym class. And not cutting myself up or anything, but I'm not exactly in good shape. Also seeing everyone using their powers kind of excited me a little, maybe. Okay, it excited me alot. If it became too much for me to handle, I could just drop the class and take...regular normal-kid gym? Did they even have that here?

I sat up straight, confident, and nodded at Logan. "Okay. I'm in."

Marie clapped happily, and looked back up at Logan, who was (holy crap) smiling as well.

"Good." He said, and turned to leave. "I'll let Pofessor Munroe know, and she'll whip you up a new schedule. Start next week?"

I nodded. "Sure." My schedule was pretty lax anyway, but to tell you the truth, I think I needed a bit of prep time. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Logan turned and waved goodbye and headed back to whatever he had been doing before proposing my new class.

"Sooo..." I dragged out maybe a bit too intentionally, directing my attention back to Marie. "Tell me what I just signed up for."

She seemed to go on forever. The more she continued, the less of an urge I had to interject. Apparently the training program was rather fantastically referred to as 'The Danger Room'. The students run drills, either against eachother, or against computer generated opponents created by the room itself. "It's kind of like a holodeck," she explained, "only it's strictly used to train us. You can only create a certain number of situations, and set them to a certain range of difficulty levels." We'd all start off in a group, and when our skills are evaluated, Logan would come up with programs for each of us to focus on whatever we're weakest at to build it up for further training when we're all up to par...if we get there. Marie casually mentions I'm on a kind of 'probation'. So if I too badly for too long, I'm out.

Sounds easy enough. How hard could it be?


	9. Eye Of The Tiger

**A/N:** I'm alive! YAY! I grovel before you in search of forgiveness. I hope this makes up for it, I promise I'll never leave you guys again. 3

* * *

The first clue that this wasn't going to be your every day gym class was Logan using a key to open a panel above the normal elevator buttons. He pressed "B1", re-locked the panel, and the elevator began its descent. I looked around at my classmates – Marie, Kitty, Bobby, Piotr, and John. Athletic clothes, water bottles, nothing out of the ordinary. Logan had a clipboard with an empty chart, a black pen dangled from a carelessly tied piece of string attached to the back. No one said a word on the way down – I felt like we were on our way to begin some unspoken mission that no-one was particularly enthused about. Kitty noticed my head turning around at everyone and playfully poked me in the shoulder, smirking when I glanced back at her.

I feel like there's something I should know.

_Is there something I should know?_

Before I could answer myself, the elevator stopped abruptly at our destination and the doors opened with a soft sigh. I was expecting something akin to the other mansion floors, a basement at the most. But apparently I was anything but prepared for what I was seeing right now, as the only thing I could spit out was "...holy shit."

The entire hallway, ceilings and floors inclusive, were metal. Gigantic, almost seamless, sheets of metal, illuminated every 10 feet or so with large light panels on the ceiling. I looked both ways outside of the elevator, only to be met with equally long hallways with the odd door along both sides.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Bobby was totally making fun of my shock, as the grin on his face was far too obvious to hide. He may as well have been pointing and laughing. But I couldn't get annoyed – he was right. I probably look five.

"...you could say that." Before I could respond, Logan snapped at us, motioning to the left hallway where we followed him to the second door. Nothing fancy, it looked like the outside of the elevator we had just exited, only with a small dark grey panel labelled "B102 – Restricted Access" with a card reader to the right. Logan reached into his pocket, and pulled out a standard size card, swiping it in the reader and placing it back into his pocket. The door made a loud hissing noise, which startled me a little, but quieted down and opened to reveal a large, black room, with what appeared to be white lines gridding across all surfaces. Even the ceiling. As I noticed that, I also noticed that near the top of the opposite side of the room, there was a glass booth built into the wall, dimly lit by a few pot lights.

_Observation booth?_

We stepped inside, and the door promptly hissed shut behind us. Large lights on the ceiling instantly lit up the temporary darkness, and I noticed that yes, the room was in fact completely empty. Logan turned to face us all, and looked down at his clipboard and seemed a bit put off that he hadn't written anything on it. But once he looked around and noticed I was there, he nodded as if he remembered why.

"Oh! Yeah, that's right. Guys, we're just going to do basic one-on-one today, nothing too fancy so Charlotte can get some kind of grip on what it is we do down here. Pair up and spread out, gimme a sec to get up to the booth and I'll talk to you from up there and start up a level one sim."

"A what?"

"Simulation." Piotr spoke up. "Professor Xavier has dis place programmed to create zee illusion that vee are in a place of training or combat, basically vatever vee need."

_Oh._ "Thanks..." I said, a little too drawn out. "Like a Holodeck?"

"Exactly like a Holodeck." He nodded, smirking at me. I doubt I was the first person to compare the two.

Fair enough. I looked over at Marie, who I was expecting to be my partner, since, well...I hadn't really done this before, and...low and behold, she was standing over with Kitty.

"Ah was thinkin', maybe you should pair up with John, ah mean you two had a bit of a tiff a wahl ago and y'obviously ain't over it yet, either o'ya. What betta way to let off some steam, ya know?"

_Oh no. No no no no no no no._

"NOWHATAREYOUWAYKIDDING!?" The objections of both John and myself echoed together around the room. I blinked around, I was almost expecting to see something, I doubt I'd be surprised right now.

Logan's voice suddenly sparked up over the speakers. "No yelling." He said plainly, and turned the intercom off.

He amused me so.

Kitty looked from Marie to Bobby to myself. "I, uh, it might actually be a good idea, I mean, Marie and I had it out in here once and it actually helped a lot. Bobby's already setting up with Piotr anyway."

I looked past them, and sure enough, Bobby and Piotr had made their own little spot across the room, and were stretching and warming up. John followed by gaze, and turned to look at me with the same pleasant glare he'd had on his face since that morning on the grounds.

I actually wanted to yell the word 'sigh' in objection, but it seemed useless, and well...really nerdy.

"Fine. I'm not going to enjoy this. Marie, you owe me." She nodded and I walked towards the middle of the room and tossed my towel down, grabbing my elbow and pulling it towards my opposite shoulder. I knew about warming up, at least. Plus if I had to do this every day, I don't feel like popping pills every morning from over-exertion. Not fun.

John appeared in front of me, not speaking. He sat down and reached down to his toes, looking away. Alright, fine. I don't like whiners, but I really don't like the silent treatment.

"You're going to have to talk to me at some point." I said a bit too loudly. John raised his eyebrows, not breaking his stare from the far wall.

"I don't have to talk to you to spar." He said plainly.

Spar? Like punching, blocking, fighting sparring?

"We're supposed to fight each other?" My voice was much quieter now.

He looked me in the eye for the first time in weeks. "Yes. I attack, you block. You attack, I block. It's not hard to figure out." I felt like he was talking to a five year old. I bet he wanted me to feel like that, too. Pissed me off.

I suddenly felt way out of my element. This wasn't going to be like wrestling.

Logan's voice came over the room again. I still couldn't figure out where the speakers were.

"Okay guys, I'm just gonna toss up Gymnasium 2. Try not to bleed on each other, No cheap shots, you know the rules." No sooner had complete confusion crossed my mind, then a gymnasium appeared around us, complete with landing mats, basketball court, ballet bars, and mirrors.

Yes. An actual gym. With walls and floors and ceilings.

I couldn't do anything but stare. Again. I looked down at my feet. Before I was standing on black...something, now I was standing on polished wood. I touched it to make sure...yep, polished wood. I stepped over and pushed on the mat. Real. It was real. But it wasn't. But...

"Are you done yet?" John interrupted me as I was trying to wrap my brain around this whole thing. "I just want to get this over with."

I stood up and sighed audibly. "Fine, let's do this. Who starts?"

"Doesn't matter. You come at me, or I come at you. The other blocks."

"What if I can't block?"

"Not my problem, Princess." _Oh you little shit._ Marie was watching our little exchange and took me slightly aside, while John looked on, annoyed yet again.

"It's a lot easier than it looks, don't worry. Try tah keep eye contact. He won't actually hurt yah, it's just training. If he goes high, duck or block with your forearm. If he goes low, try tah dodge it, get in close and kick his leg out with yours. He's gonna get cocky, don't let it get to yah. You'll be fine." She winked and jogged back over to Kitty, and resumed their sparring. I watched them for a minute, trying to get an idea of what she meant. It looked a lot like martial arts – Kitty took a high swing, Marie tossed her upper body back to avoid it, and grabbed her arm. Marie came at Kitty with a spin kick (which I had no idea she could do and was very impressed by, by the way) , aimed right at Kitty's head. I was so sure she was about to get punted in the face. It was almost a blur – Kitty ducked, sprung at Marie, wrapping her arms around her waist, and pinned her to the mat with a loud thud. They got up, Marie coughing then laughing, and hugged each other. They both looked over at me, and Kitty gave a knowing nod.

"See? Not so hard!" She said, breathing heavily.

Yeah, not so hard, I guess...

"Think fast, Princess!" A voice to my left snapped my gaze back to John, who was about to HIT ME IN THE FACE OH GOD WHAT THE FU-

"AAAH!" I threw my arms up around my head and ducked. I got back up immediately. John was...laughing? I almost got hit in the face with a cheap shot, and he was laughing at me?

I really don't take well to being embarrassed in front of people.

"You're supposed to warn me, asshole!" I instinctively shoved him, unfortunately not knocking him over, but back a few feet. He stopped laughing, at least that worked. A little.

"There ya go, now try to hit me or something. If you can." He's egging me on now? He's been spending all this time avoiding me so I don't rat out his precious little secret, then he talks to me like I'm an idiot, and now he's trying to egg me on? Well, when in Rome...

"If I can?"

He rolled his eyes and took a step toward me. "Did I stutter? If. You. Ca-"

And then I hit him.

His cheekbone felt sharp against my fist. I was thankful I didn't hit his nose, Logan did say no bleeding. He staggered back, and his hand shot up and touched his cheek below his left eye. He looked up at me, wincing, his left eye still closed, his cheek red from the impact. It would definitely bruise, that's for sure.

"No, I think you were pretty clear on that one."

The room was oddly silent. I looked around...everyone was staring at me. Or John. Or both of us. I suddenly felt a pang of guilt as I looked back to the boy I had just clocked in the face. Until he stood back up to his full height and stepped toward me, stopping as close as he could get. His nose must have been less than inch from mine. I could feel the heat radiating from his face. I looked up into his eyes, not surprised to see that he was flat out pissed. Remember in cartoons when the bad guys get flames in their eyes if they're plotting someone's untimely demise? It was kind of like that. No flames, but I swear I could see a tinge of an orange glow among the blue.

"Real cute." He barely spoke above a whisper. I recalled the last time he was that close – this was different. Apparently he's as touchy about being embarrassed as I am. I held his gaze for a few seconds, and didn't move an inch.

"But you told me to, Princess." If I could have laid the sarcasm on any thicker, we would have drowned in it. He was silent for a second, then stood back and picked up his towel, wiping it across his face and tossing it back down on the ground.

Kitty came running over, stopping conveniently between us and faced me. "Hey guys, time to switch!" She said a little too excitedly. " John, you go with Marie...over there. I'll stay here, where...you're not." John picked his towel and water bottle up in one angry swipe, and tossed it back down near to Marie, who had quite the enthused expression on her face.

"Okay okay, that was hi-LARIOUS. But he looked like he was going to kill you so I came to save you. Or him. But yeah." Kitty was now in front of me, slightly bouncing, on her toes.

"Okay. So we'll do this properly. I'm going to take a swing at you."

_Ugh._ "Yup."

" I won't hit you though."

_Huh?_ "Go on..."

"I'm going to phase through you. If you can't block me, I'll just go right through you. I'll stay normal if you block it though." Seemed easy enough.

"Use your forearms to block and push away, or if you think you can grab my fist, use your right hand."

"Grab your fist? Is that even possible?"

"Oh yeah, for sure. It takes a lot of practice though, if you have good reflexes you'll learn it quicker. Okay ready?" Of course I wasn't.

_Whatever._

"Okay, go."

Just like she said she would, Kitty swung at me. And just like she said she would, she phased through my head. My arms flew up a split second too late, and my vision went all cloudy as her hand literally passed through my face. I blinked hard – that felt weird. I shook my head to regain my composure, and told her to try again.

I thought back to Colin, in the park...he had dodged a punch with his spikes, but...the principal was the same, wasn't it? No time like the present to test it.

My left arm shot up and out just as Kitty's fist was about to reach the side of my head. My forearm hit hers, and a quick jolt of pain shot up to my shoulder and Kitty's arm was thrown off its path.

"OW." I couldn't do anything but yell, and shake my arm. Kitty's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together.

"Nice! Now you just have to do that every time someone takes a swing at you, and you'll be fine."

I looked over at John. It was like Maggie Simpson and the baby with the one eyebrow. He was very much not impressed with me right now. I did what I normally do when someone is irrationally angry at me – I smiled and waved. Before I could notice his reaction, I turned back to Kitty, and squared my feet. She was ready for me.

"Okay, let's go again."

We continued, back and forth, for almost an hour, taking short breaks to catch our breath and drink. I started to pick up on Kitty's style - she was small, so she came from lower down, aiming higher, and didn't use her left much. I also began to get into a style of my own, or a beginner's version of one. My reflexes were much quicker than I realized, and after hearing Logan boom down about practicing on footwork, I was much steadier than I had been, despite tripping over myself a few times. I had yet to catch Kitty's fist with my hand, but the mere thought of accomplishing it pushed me even harder. I caught myself watching the others every now and then – John and Bobby and since paired off, and Piotr and Marie. The moves themselves were the same, but all executed flawlessly, with their own flair. Piotr was just a flat out tank, while Marie seemed to way next to nothing, I even saw her do a back flip to get out of his long reach. John and Bobby were similar in stature, with John a bit thinner and taller, but their fighting styles were almost identical, and yet opposite at the same time. You could tell they'd sparred together often. Bobby seemed deathly focused on his own correct stance and method, making sure his feet were where they should be, and every calculation was correct, otherwise he'd be on the mat. John, on the other hand, was fast, almost careless, and his moves were unpredictable. They were the last to finish, and while we watched, I noticed John flicker a glance in my direction before slamming his arm into Bobby's chest and ending the fight.

Logan reappeared, his blank worksheet now full of random scribbles, and waved us out the door.

"Nice work, everyone. We'll repeat today's sparring for the rest of the week, and then on Monday I'll start up a flag sim."

The elevator closed behind us, and Bobby spoke up before thankfully I asked another question.

"Think of it as capture the flag with everyone using their powers." He grinned, and returned his gaze to the front of the elevator.

Yeah, I'm definitely staying in this class.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm a bit rusty since my hiatus, I apologize. Let me know if I could use any improvements, or what's missing that you liked from previous chapters. Read/Review! Thanks guys.


	10. Crash Boom Bang

**A/N: **I missed you guys.

* * *

_Ow._

_Owwwww._

I had forgotten what the aftermath of a heavy workout was like...until I woke up the following morning.

"My everything hurts..." I mumbled, my head still underneath my pillow. I peeked out from my dark and comfortable solace, not sure if it was even light out yet. Sure enough, my eyes were blasted with the bright shock of the morning sun, and I squeaked as I hid my face again. Don't get me wrong, I love great weather...but I definitely need to make a mental note to order some curtains or something.

What day was it, anyway? I had a week to decide when to go see my Mother. I hadn't had time to really think about it yesterday, but once I sat up and threw my slippers on to head downstairs for breakfast, it felt like a giant weight on my shoulders. As if they weren't hurting enough already.

Everyone was already at their usual spots at the table. Kitty was the first to notice my arrival, and waved a bottle of advil at me as a greeting.

_Ohhhh yes._

"I figured you'd need this." She grinned. "You get used to it, don't worry."

I nodded at her and asked for two. I tossed my hoodie down onto my chair between her and Marie, and went to the cupboards. I craved cereal this morning..._OH SHI- Corn Pops! Why I think I just might._ One of the best things about attending the same school as younger kids is the fact that we can eat like we're 10 and not give a damn. Healthy balanced breakfast? Pfft. Corn pops, hell yeah. I was actually suprised at how happy was to find my favourite cereal in the cupboard after waking up to brightness and pain and all those fun things. So happy, that when I sat down at the table, everyone was staring at me.

Do I have something on my face? "What." I looked around at them.

"You have a stupid grin on your face. You get laid or something?" John chewed on his bacon as he drawled at me.

Stupid grin? Your face is stupid. "You wish." Yeah, get him...wait, does that even work? I'm too tired for this.

His eye roll gave me satisfaction. I went back to my Corn Pops.

"So hey," Bobby spoke up a few minutes later. "It's Tuesday, which means cheap movie night at the mall, which means we get to get outta here for the night. You in?"

_HELL YES I'M IN!_ "Yeah, sure." I don't even remember what movies are playing anymore. I remembered just then I somehow managed to function without my laptop this whole time...wow. "Is anything good playing?"

"Who cares?" Marie chimed in excitedly. "We pick a movie and get dropped off, but we just skip it and do whatever until we get picked up."

I nodded. I liked this idea. I had never been into town before. Where was town, anyway? This entire area was unfamiliar to me, as we were never allowed to leave the grounds, and I wasn't exactly paying attention on my way here, due to the freaking out and everything. We made plans to meet at 7 at the main doors. We were going to see Inception. Easy enough. Piotr had nabbed a decent copy off some "guy he knows" so we were just going to watch it later should any plot questions arise.

Of course it was pouring rain when 7pm rolled around. Myself, Kitty, Piotr, Marie, John and Bobby piled into the van, piloted by Logan. I could tell he was the usual driver for excursions such as this, and I could also tell he hated it. No pop music, no yelling, and "put your damn seatbelts on."

My eyes shot open. All I could see was the interior of...a jacket? I was soaking wet...am I outside? I heard a high pitched ringing that seemed to go on forever. It started to fade but was quickly replaced by what I could only register as a car horn. A very busted car horn. That's when the pain shot through my entire body and the panic set in. We had crashed.

We crashed. _Oh fuck. Fuck. Am I dead? No, I'm not dead. What's on my face?_ I regained control of my arm and grabbed blindly at whatever was covering my face. I pulled it off. It was Kitty's jacket.

Kitty. Marie. Bobby. Piotr. John. Logan. I tried to call out everyone's name at once, but ended up exhaling a loud whining sound. Something's on my chest. I can't move. I think about if my neck hurts. It doesn't. Can I move it? Yes. Good. Okay. It's still pouring. Rain is pelting my face and it's hard to keep my eyes open against the droplets. I'm blinking like crazy and trying to talk and where the fuck is SOMEONE and what's on my chest and why can't I hear -

"Charlotte!" Bobby. _Thank fuck._ "Charlotte, can you hear me? Are you hurt?" I try to relax and focus on my voice.

"Ye...yes. Yes I can hear you...I think I'm okay..." I manage to choke out. Suprisingly I don't feel pain in any specific area any more than anywhere else...this happened once when I fell off my bike. Shock? Maybe?

The delay in response concerns me a bit, and I can hear muffled voices in the direction of Bobby. Someone's crying. Someone else is yelling...why am I still stuck in here?

"Listen." Logan, oh my God, Logan. "We got swiped by another vehicle. We hit a utlity pole." Oh, lovely. I heard footsteps approach, but stop still a distance away. I could turn my head enough, but between the rain and the lights and fuck my head hurts and what is that FUCKING RINGING NOISE I can't make out any details. Everything is sideways but I can tell Logan is closest, and someone else I can't identify is next to him.

"Logan, I'm stuck, I can't," I try to squirm around and free myself from whatever part of the car I'm wedged under but he shouts and I stop immediately.

"NO DON'T MOVE. Don't move." What now. What did I break? Was this is precaution?

"Something happened with your powers when you blacked out."

Okay, so what -

"You're fused to the car." _Shit._ Okay. Why does this seem even worse than I'm thinking it is right now? Is that even possible?

"Can't I just," I took a breath. I was starting to feel rather warm. "Concentrate and...move myself out of the way?" I thought back to the water fountain. Why would it be any different?

"Charlotte there's a loose power line on the car." Bobby screamed over the rain. "We thought you were dead. Logan can't pull you out of the car. He'll get electrocuted easier than the rest of us would. You...you shouldn't be alive. Help is coming."

_WHAT?_ Just...what the flying mother of _oh my god WHAT?_ Oh, there's the panic. My heart rate suddenly skyrocketed. Now I'm scared. I'm fused to a car, which is being juiced up by a power line, and they can't get me out, and now I'm starting to cry, and -

A familiar smell suddenly filled my nostrils...and with it, a feeling I can only describe as pure dread.

I was immediately surrounded by orange and red, and the cold rain was nothing compared to the heat. The gas tank had punctured in the crash...it had ignited. I was still stuck. I heard a girl scream. Is the fucking VAN ON FIRE?

_I'm going to die._

All I could do was scream bloody murder. Scream imaginary words and cry and try to get free and then remember why that was a horrible idea and stop moving and scream some more. Being burned to death wasn't exactly how I wanted to go. I heard more yelling. It almost sounded like arguing. More footsteps.

"Hey. Hey, hey. It's okay! Stay still." My eyes darted around as much as my head could allow and John suddenly appeared next to my face. His jeans were sliced and bloody and he had a large gash in his leg. He looked at me for half a second before turning his attention to the blaze. He stuck his hand out and stood eerily still. In my panic I watched silenty from my place on the ground, where I was certain I would spend the last moments of my life.

"John, what are you-" I stopped as I noticed the heat near my legs lessening. Either my legs had burned off, or... he was controlling the fire. I couldn't help but try to lift my neck to see, which proved horribly painful, so I put my head back down. The orange and red was quickly fading...but somehow I knew it wasn't over. John then kneeled down next to me. His hair was soaked from the rain and pieces of it fell into my face as he lowered his face towards my ear.

"Look," He said loudly. "I don't know if this is going to work, but we gotta try because if the tank blows," He locked my gaze. "I won't be able to stop it."

"Okay, what?" I just wanted to get out of there. I'd chew my arm off at this point. "What do I need to do?" John took a deep breath and looked toward what I'm assuming was the part of the van I was fused with.

"Okay. I can't get burned. But they can." He pointed back to the rest of the group. "You need to try to fuse away from the car and I'm gonna pull you. I figure electricity without heat can't do much damage, right? It'll pass through you and end up at me." _Are you insane?_

They don't think it'll work! They think I can't handle the power. I can do it." _Yes, you're insane._

"It's not affecting you. I don't get it...no-one does." Well at least you're right with that one. Okay enough.

"What if it doesn't work?" I stared up at him through his hair. Did I really want to know the asnwer?

"Then I guess we both die." _Oh._ "But," He stood up. "No-one deserves to die alone so it's my way or no way."

I looked around at what little parts of the wreckage I could see. Fair enough.

My instructions were simple. Focus on sliding myself out of the van. Focus on the piece that was partly in my chest, let it go back to it's original form, and let the same happen to me. Easier said than done, however, was to ignore the fact that I was currently (har har) being electrocuted and somehow unaffected. I was partly on the ground. There was absolutely no logical way I should be alive. I should be barbequed. Violently. But I wasn't. I had to get into the right headspace, and I had to do it now.

"Are you ready?" John had positioned himself behind me, ready to grab my shoulders and pull when I gave him the okay to do so. By lifting me off the ground, the electricity would transfer to him. Whatever is contacting the ground gets the brunt of the power flow. How could he think this would be okay? I mean, electric shock is similar to a burn in severe cases, but...I had no idea how this worked. Obviously his body chemistry was different. He was sure he could do it.

Deep breath. Eyes closed. If I fuck this up, I die. The end, no do-overs.

"Go."

John's hands gripped me underneath my shoulders. No sooner did he begin to pull me back, when everything went white. I couldn't feel anything. I wasn't in pain. I could hear everything around me. Rain. Voices. The ringing. Feeling began to come back. Still white. Was John still holding onto me? I couldn't speak. What's happening? Why can't I fucking see? My chest wasn't heavy anymore. My vision snapped back. I hit the ground.

I stared upwards, stunned. More screaming. I didn't want to move. What happened? Where the fuck is...

"John!" Bobby came running toward...me? No. Behind me. I painfully shifted my neck and looked up toward my left.

John's foot, attached to what was obviously John, lay motionless in the rain just inches away, the soles of his shoes were nearly melted off.

I couldn't breathe. I had to close my eyes.


End file.
